Mälardalen University seeks Head of Planning and Finance

Mälardalens universitet (MDU) is Sweden's newest university. With our vision to be a progressive and collaborative university where we together shape a sustainable future, we want to make a real difference.

Do you want to contribute to our development?

Together, we contribute to a more sustainable future through knowledge and innovation. We believe that new knowledge and perspectives are best created and achieved in collaboration with others - colleagues, students, industry, and the public sector both nationally and internationally.

The Planning and Finance Department supports the entire operational area of planning, finance, and procurement, both strategically and operationally. We work with operational and financial management through operational planning, internal governance and control, budgeting, forecasting, accounting, follow-up, and analysis. In the area of procurement and purchasing, we support the entire university's purchasing process.

EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION

Employment type: Permanent position starting with a possible probationary period
Start date: By agreement
Extent: Full-time
Number of positions: 1
Application deadline: February 10, 2026
Location: Västerås
Faculty/unit/department: Planning and Finance

JOB DESCRIPTION

As the Head of Department, you are responsible for leading, developing, and following up on the department's activities, including finance and employer responsibility. The assignment involves ensuring qualified and recipient-adapted support to the university's various levels - from management level to faculties and institutions - where a holistic perspective and coordinated deliveries are central.

You initiate and drive the development of effective and quality-assured processes within planning, follow-up, finance, purchasing, and procurement, as well as work with good internal governance and control. This also includes promoting the digitization of processes to strengthen the efficiency and quality of operations.

In close collaboration with the university management, you provide strategic and overarching support in governance issues, and you are expected to be the main presenter in the university's board within your areas of responsibility. The work involves ensuring that work processes are designed with high quality, clear structure, and a focus on developing, improving, and streamlining operations, as well as ensuring that support and services are delivered with great operational benefit.

You have overall responsibility for the Planning and Finance Department, which offers both strategic and operational support across the entire operational area of planning, finance, and procurement.

QUALIFICATIONS

We are looking for someone who has:

• Bachelor's degree in finance or a relevant field for the position
• Fluent communication in Swedish and English, both orally and in writing
• Several years of experience as a manager with operational, financial, and employer responsibility in similar positions such as Chief Financial Officer or equivalent within the public administration
• Extensive experience at an organizational level in financial work within public operations such as accounting, budgeting, reporting, and financial management
• Good understanding of the operations and governance of the university and higher education sector
• Experience of being part of a management team.
• Experience and competence in leading change and development work

You have the ability to lead and motivate employees in a co-creative spirit and to build a positive and sustainable work environment together with them. With a high degree of operational understanding of the sector's conditions and frameworks, you can see and interpret contexts and different perspectives, which allows you to create engagement and accountability in the organization. You understand complex contexts and can translate strategies into practical implementation that leads to goal fulfillment. As a leader, you are clear, present, and skilled at setting frameworks, delegating, and creating psychological safety, while also following up and adapting your leadership based on the challenges of the operation and the needs of the employees. You also have an easy time seeing the whole and different perspectives and can create engagement and accountability both for the overall operation and for how each part contributes to the whole.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Desirable for the position is to have:

• Advanced degree in a relevant field for the position
• Experience as a planning and/or finance manager at an overarching organizational level within a university or college
• Good knowledge of public administration and its frameworks, as well as experience in the university and higher education sector, its governance and operations, and interest in overarching educational and research policy issues
• Good knowledge in purchasing and procurement
• Extensive experience at an organizational level in planning within public operations such as operational planning, analysis, and internal governance and control as well as quality work.
• Experience in digitization work
• Experience in leading other managers as a manager
• Network within the higher education sector/related activities

PERSONAL ABILITIES

In a comprehensive assessment of suitability, personal abilities are also taken into account. All employees at MDU are expected to collaborate and meet colleagues and students with respect, take responsibility for the operations and their own tasks, and contribute to a good work environment.

You have good collaboration and communication skills and show trust in your way of leading and collaborating. You work with commitment and combine courage and action with responsiveness, analytical ability, and innovation. At the same time, you are structured and unpretentious in your working method. For this position, decisive importance will be placed on personal suitability.

We value the qualities that a balanced age and gender distribution as well as ethnic and cultural diversity contribute.

APPLICATION

Submit your application by clicking the “Apply” button below.

The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application is complete in accordance with the advertisement and submitted to the university by the application deadline.

Welcome with your application!

Union representatives:

Saco-S [email protected]

Susanne Meijer ST-OFR/S, tel: 021-10 14 89

We kindly ask for no contact with salespeople for advertisements. We have made our strategic choices for this recruitment.

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